Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-04-12
WHOLESALE ROBBERY.
How Trsinmen Succeed in Robbing Cars
of Valuable Goods.


PIrTsBURG (Pa.), April 11th.-Concern
ing the exposure of the gigantic system of
robbery that has been going on along GER
tain lines of railroad, and the wholesale
arrests of railroad men made within the
last fwenty-four hours, Superintendent
Rice, of this city, relates the following.
After describing the method of sealing the
locks on freight cars, Superintendent Rice
proceeded to relate all the circumstances
connected with the discovery of the fact
that wholesale robberies had been going
on, and how they were finally located to a
certain section OF the road. He then said ::
q l can give q few illustrations of the
spirit of these employees In one case, just
lately, pursuit was so hot that twenty-five
boxes of fine cigars were hastily burned in
a caboose stove. In another car, :" typ
resulted in two bolts of fine silk being
thrown from the caboose into the Monon-
gahela river while crossing the Panhandle
bridge. In another instance a crew broke
open a car and found it full of organs.
One of the men, enraged at finding nothing
of a steaiable kind, thrust an iron bar into
an organ and ruined it.
eve have evidences that a freight con-
ductOr broke into a car, opened piano
and sat and played all night stopping at
midnight to eat supper off the polished
top The same fellow was humping
piano in dive last night when captured.
Another brakeman stole a bolt of cloth
and had a suit made for himself and gave
cloth for two other suits to mis- friends.
Another man has become an expert on a
stolen accordeon.
" In all my experience of twenty-nine
years / never saw such taste for miscel-
laneous stealing Every ything, except a
coffin and blacksnlths anvil, has been
stolen and made use of Some of our de-
tectives assured me this morning that not
a man was arrested but had from half a
dozen to dozen pairs of clean socks of
the finest qualities, and large assortment
of spirits of all kinds"
The thieves who were not arrested at
their homes were taken from trains as they
came in. The officers displayed red lights,
the trains were side-tracked, and before the
men knew what was the matter they found
themselves under arrest. The cabooses
were searched and maly evidences of long
continued depredations were discovered.
Hundreds of boxes which had contained
the finest imported cigars were found on
trains boldly used by men to hold caps,
overalls and lanterns. Almost every man
arrested had from one to ten pawn tickets
for all sorts of articles on his person. 1t is
alleged that every pawn-shop in the two
cities is represented. An amount of several
thousand dollars is said to be recoverable
in this way alone.
The crews of men that had been arrested
had left large number of trains deserted.
The detention of freight, however, was
only temporary. The railroad officers had
taken special precautions to continue NOV
ing their freight promptly. An extra force
OF sixty men had been employed. These
were put on the deserted trains. When it
became generally known that large num-
Der of men had been arrested applicants
for positions commenced to flock to the
depOt by scores